A comprehensive synthesis of liana removal experiments in tropical forests

Lianas are a quintessential feature of tropical forests and are often perceived as being poorly studied. However, liana removal studies may be one of the most common experimental manipulations in tropical forest ecology. In this review, we synthesize data from 64 tropical liana removal experiments conducted over the past 90 yr. We explore the direction and magnitude of the effects of lianas on tree establishment, growth, survival, reproduction, biomass accretion, and plant and animal diversity in ecological and forestry studies. We discuss the geographical biases of liana removal studies and compare the various methods used to manipulate lianas. Overall, we found that lianas have a clear negative effect on trees, and trees benefitted from removing lianas in nearly every study across all forest types. Liana cutting significantly increased light and water availability, and trees responded with vastly greater reproduction, growth, survival, and biomass accumulation compared to controls where lianas were present. Removing lianas during logging significantly reduced damage of future merchantable trees and improved timber production. Our review demonstrates that lianas have an unequivocally detrimental effect on every metric of tree performance measured, regardless of forest type, forest age, or geographic location. However, lianas also appear to have a positive contribution to overall forest plant diversity and to different animal groups. Therefore, managing lianas reduces logging damage and improves timber production; however, the removal lianas may also have a negative effect on the faunal community, which could ultimately harm the plant community.     

海南岛霸王岭热带山地雨林木质藤本垂直结构特征

木质藤本植物是热带森林结构和功能的重要组分,但对于其垂直分布的研究较少。通过对海南岛霸王岭热带山地雨林坡地8条样带内胸径≥0.5cm的攀援木质藤本进行调查,比较分析了其多度、物种丰富度、径级结构、攀援方式组成、物种组成的垂直结构特征。结果表明:(1)随着高度级增加,木质藤本多度和物种丰富度都呈现出一种先增加后降低的单峰型曲线变化规律。(2)随着高度级增加,木质藤本个体趋于分布在更大径级。在森林底层(05m)和林冠层(≥15m)分别以0.51cm和≥2cm径级的木质藤本占优。(3)不同高度级间,不同攀援方式木质藤本个体比例存在显著差异。主茎缠绕类木质藤本在各高度级都占优势,卷须类木质藤本个体比例随高度增加显著降低,根攀类木质藤本呈现相反趋势。(4)随着高度级增加,木质藤本物种优势度明显发生变化。总体来看,木质藤本呈现出一种复杂、有序的垂直结构,这可能决定其对森林动态的影响。     

濒危植物永瓣藤叶片功能性状对环境因子的响应

植物叶片功能性状能够响应环境条件的变化,反应了植物对环境的适应策略。当前,针对藤本植物叶片功能性状地理格局及其环境驱动力的研究较少。以国家重点保护植物永瓣藤（Monimopetalum chinense）为研究对象,对其分布区内11个种群的15个叶片功能性状进行测量,并结合气候、土壤因子来解释叶性状变异。比较叶片性状在局域和区域尺度上的种内变异程度,利用多元逐步回归分析环境因子对叶性状的影响。结果表明,在局域尺度上,永瓣藤叶功能性状变异系数介于3.0%-22.5%,其中,叶面积变异程度最大,叶片碳含量变异最小。永瓣藤叶片形状随纬度上升而变得宽且圆。叶片磷含量相对较低,永瓣藤的生长可能受到了磷限制。土壤与气候因子是叶片性状的重要驱动因素,解释了25%-97%的叶片性状变异。在温度和水分充足的情况下,永瓣藤叶片趋向于的慢速生长的保守策略。总体来说,永瓣藤叶片功能性状通过一定的种内变异和性状组合,并与气候、土壤因子相互作用,适应当前的环境条件。     

Population and genetic structure of the West African rain forest liana Ancistrocladus korupensis (Ancistrocladaceae)

Ancistrocladus korupensis D. W. Thomas & Gereau (Ancistrocladaceae) is a recently described liana from Cameroon. Its leaves yield the alkaloid michellamine B, which shows in vitro activity against HIV. The only known population is limited to ~15,000 ha within Korup National Park and its immediate surroundings. This study: (1) describes ecological patterns (geographic range, population density, stage and size class distributions, host tree characteristics, and seed dispersal patterns) of A. korupensis ; (2) quantifies patterns of genetic variation on species and subpopulation levels and fine-scale genetic structure; (3) describes variation in michellamine B content; and (4) makes conservation recommendations based on ecological and genetic data. Ecological data from 457 individuals from seven sites indicate that the A. korupensis population is dominated by canopy-climbing individuals. Population densities are low with values ranging from 2.5 to 12.9 individuals/ha. Reproduction data suggest limited seed dispersal, episodic fruiting, and no vegetative reproduction. Allozyme data indicate low genetic diversity with only 7.1% of the 14 loci polymorphic. Values for Hobs and He were 0.022 (_ 0.000 SE) and 0.041 (_ 0.000 SE), respectively. Wright's F statistics analysis suggests that A. korupensis is highly inbred (FIS = 0.455) with moderate levels of subpopulation differentiation (FST = 0.1153). Michellamine B content was best predicted by leaf type but also showed a significant relationship for stage class. The occurrence of rare, private alleles in most of the sites, low overall population size and density, and low availability of individuals for recruitment into the adult stage class are important considerations for the rational management of A. korupensis.     

Long-term reproductive behaviour of woody plants across seven Bornean forest types in the Gunung Palung National Park (Indonesia): suprannual synchrony, temporal productivity and fruiting diversity

For 68 months, we observed the reproductive behaviour of 7288 woody plants (172 figs, 1457 climbers and 5659 trees) spanning major soil and elevational gradients. Two 2–3 month community-wide supra-annual fruiting events were synchronized across five forest types, coinciding with ENSO events. At least 27 genera in 24 families restricted their reproduction to these events, which involved a substantial proportion of tree diversity (> 80% of phylogenetic diversity). During these events, mean reproductive levels (8.5%) represented an almost four-fold increase compared with other months. These patterns indicate a strong behavioural advantage to this unusual reproductive behaviour. Montane forest experienced a single, separate fruiting peak while the peat swamp forest did not participate. Excluding these events, no temporal reproductive pattern was detectible, at either the landscape or forest type. These phenological patterns have major implications for the conservation of frugivore communities, with montane and swamp forests acting as 'keystone' forests.     

金钟藤种子低萌发率原因探讨

金钟藤种子在室内萌发率很低,为进一步探讨金钟藤种子的特性,阐明其种子萌发率低的主要原因,对金钟藤种皮的透水性、种子解剖结构、种子活力和种子内源抑制物的生物测定进行了研究。结果表明:金钟藤种皮透水性较差,完整种子比破皮种子吸水达到最高水平慢38h;种子空瘪粒多,占所有种子的30%;种子活力较低,平均活力仅为35%;金钟藤种子甲醇粗提液对白菜种子萌发率、根长和芽长均有较强的抑制作用,其浸提液浓度在25mg/mL时,严重抑制白菜种子萌发和生长,即金钟藤种子内部含有较高的内源抑制物质。金钟藤种子萌发率低,表明其近年来突发性蔓延成灾主要不是由种子生成新个体造成的,导致其蔓延成灾的关键因素还需要进一步深入研究。     

Annual Rainfall and Seasonality Predict Pan-tropical Patterns of Liana Density and Basal Area

We test the hypotheses proposed by Gentry and Schnitzer that liana density and basal area in tropical forests vary negatively with mean annual precipitation (MAP) and positively with seasonality. Previous studies correlating liana abundance with these climatic variables have produced conflicting results, warranting a new analysis of drivers of liana abundance based on a different dataset. We compiled a pan-tropical dataset containing 28,953 lianas (≥2.5 cm diam.) from studies conducted at 13 Neotropical and 11 Paleotropical dry to wet lowland tropical forests. The ranges in MAP and dry season length (DSL) (number of months with mean rainfall <100 mm) represented by these datasets were 860–7250 mm/yr and 0–7 mo, respectively. Pan-tropically, liana density and basal area decreased significantly with increasing annual rainfall and increased with increasing DSL, supporting the hypotheses of Gentry and Schnitzer. Our results suggest that much of the variation in liana density and basal area in the tropics can be accounted for by the relatively simple metrics of MAP and DSL.